How to Juggle - My Juggler https://myjuggler.com/category/how-to-juggle/ Where Life Balance Begins Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:44:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Body https://myjuggler.com/body/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 18:37:22 +0000 https://myjuggler.com/?page_id=1058  According to the great philosopher and physician, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (Maimonides), to be physically healthy is “among the ways of God. Because one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator if he is ill. Therefore, he must ...

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 According to the great philosopher and physician, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (Maimonides), to be physically healthy is “among the ways of God. Because one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator if he is ill. Therefore, he must avoid that which harms the body, and accustom himself to that which is healthful and helps the body become stronger.”  

In other words, taking care of our physical body allows our soul to reside in a healthy vessel, which helps us to achieve our life’s purpose.

However, taking care of your body is not an end in itself. The end goal of living is to continuously develop a deeper closeness with God. We do this with both our body and our soul. The body is a ‘servant’ of the soul and allows the soul to grow and refine itself by following the Torah’s directives.

Tending to our physical selves includes eating healthfully, exercising regularly, having good sleep habits and managing stress.*  Additionally, taking vacations, enjoying a hobby and having other special interests help to nourish and reinvigorate our bodies and souls, and are included in this “Ball.”

 * NOTE: It is prudent to consult with a physician to assess your personal physical condition before making changes to your diet or exercise.

1. Ask yourself: 

What can I do today to begin to restore or improve my physical vitality?

For example,  if you have not yet developed a regular exercise habit, start by taking a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood every other day. 

2. Exercise: start small and be realistic — or you won’t do it.

Much has been written about the benefits of fresh air and cardiovascular activity, and so, yes, this Ball is a bit obvious. If you drop it (or have not yet picked it up), you will find yourself suffering from an off-kilter feeling. 

Now you’re ready… 

Start to Juggle.

 

____________________ 

Here a few more tips to keep yourself ‘Juggling’

  1. As in all life changes, SMALL steps work best. Start something RIGHT NOW.  (“If not now, when?” asks the great sage Hillel.)

  2. Print out the MyJuggler Starter Card

  3. Fill in one small item in one category. Start today and repeat for the next 4 days. Put the card where you will see it. Fill it in tomorrow. You’re on your way.

    Re-balance every month — just recalibrate a little.  Once you’ve made progress in one area, make a little tweak in another one of the 5 areas.

  •   • Juggling the Five Balls means growing in the key areas of life.

  •   • You will begin to feel increased joy.

  •   • The Five will keep you alive!

  •   • The movement forward creates an energy of positivity.

  •   • Putting your life in order clears the way for a purpose-driven life.
 

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]]> Soul https://myjuggler.com/soul/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 18:37:35 +0000 https://myjuggler.com/?page_id=1061 A person is composed of both body and soul. The body is finite, but the soul is eternal. Judaism teaches that your soul will live on after you die.  The soul was ‘breathed’ into us by God. It’s a spark of God’s ...

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A person is composed of both body and soul. The body is finite, but the soul is eternal. Judaism teaches that your soul will live on after you die. 

The soul was ‘breathed’ into us by God. It’s a spark of God’s essence.

 

STOP: READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY…

 

Your soul is your real self.

If most of your time is spent taking care of the physical self’s stuff (i.e., work, exercise, your appearance, your net worth, your possessions, showcasing your image on social media), you will eventually feel angst, emptiness and/or sadness. These nagging feelings are a ‘soul alert.’ Your soul is telling you to invest more time in your spiritual life.  

 

What can I do?

Here are some suggestions to help you develop an even more intimate, personal relationship with God, the One who created you:


1.) Set up a regular time for quiet.  Find a peaceful spot. Turn off your phone. Reflect on your day, your direction, your life. Meditate. Listen to your soul talking to you.


2.) Talk to God several times each day — not only 3 times daily from a prayer book, but also throughout the day — in your own words.


3.) Experience gratitude. Thank God for the things in your life that you might take for granted. For example, each day when you first wake up and use the bathroom, focus on the simple pleasure of being able to “relieve yourself.” (Imagine if you couldn’t.) Or what about whenever you notice your body’s amazing design, its sinews and muscles, like those near your elbow joint when you bend your arm to brush your teeth.


4.) Notice, and say out loud, specific things that you enjoy in the moment. Yes, this all may be nothing new, but it works to restart your ‘joy machine.’ See the miracles in everyday life: a rainbow, a rose-bud, a peach, a puppy, a baby, the dew…


5.) Learn Torah. The Torah is the instruction manual for life given to us 3,300 years ago by God. It is THE most efficient way to learn how to connect with God. The Torah gives instructions, commandments, also known as mitzvahs, which help us take advantage of our time on Earth in a way that we’ll  feel connected to God in this world…and the next.

5.a.) To start learning Torah, acquire a Chumash (Torah with commentary from the sages). Start by following along with the current week’s parasha (chapter). You’ll instantly be ‘on the same page’ as every Jew on the planet! 

5.b.) See ‘THE LEARNING PYRAMID‘ (scroll below) — a sleek, simple guide to add Torah learning into your life.


6.) Attend classes or visit websites to discover the core values of Judaism. Websites can provide wonderful wisdom to guide and inspire you, sites such as:

        aish.com

        chabad.org

        simpletoremember.com

        torahanytime.com


7.) Seek ‘spiritual navigators’ to be your mentors and teachers. Discover and listen to world-renowned Rabbis such as R’ Manis Friedman, R’ Yisroyel Bernath or the late R’ Lord Jonathan Sacks or R’ Noah Weinberg (search YouTube…). 


8.) Ask yourself which of your character traits need upgrading — 

 Do you often experience: 
        …jealousy?  
        …anger? 
        …laziness? 
        …addictive behaviors? 
        …procrastination? 
        …disorganization?
 

The refinement of character is a large part of the work God wants from us. If you are not already learning about character development in Jewish sources, contact a kollel or Partners In Torah (partnersintorah.org) and request a learning partner. 

 

9.) DIY reading of the classics, Pirkei Avos or Path of the Just works, too. Find those on Jewish websites or in bookstores and libraries. More suggestions: Ethics of the Fathers or If You Were God by the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan.

 

10.) Research has proven that just seeing green outdoors restores your spirit. Take a walk — schedule time to be in nature on a regular basis.

 

11.) Try observing the Sabbath in whatever way you can. Every Friday at sundown Jews recharge and restore for 25 hours. You can learn more about this popular practice online. Start with one small step, like lighting candles before sunset.

 

Take care of the ‘Soul Ball’ and see how much better you feel.



• Pick one activity from the list above. Try it for 5 days in a consistent way. 

Now you’re ready… 

Start to Juggle. 

The Learning Pyramid

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]]> Family & Friends https://myjuggler.com/family-friends/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 18:37:52 +0000 https://myjuggler.com/?page_id=1064 One of the greatest sources of joy is the love we give and the love we get. Our relationships with family and friends will either rise or fall depending on the time and quality of the attention we invest.  For example, ...

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One of the greatest sources of joy is the love we give and the love we get. Our relationships with family and friends will either rise or fall depending on the time and quality of the attention we invest. 

For example, there’s no comparison between marriages of couples who make regular time to talk each day ‘face to face’ and those who live in a blur of texting. 

Friend relationships where the people rarely speak by phone or who don’t FaceTime or Zoom, but connect only through Instagram, WhatsApp, texts or emails, remain superficial and unsatisfying. 

The book Ethics of the Fathers says that ‘one sign God is happy with you is when the people in your life are happy with you.’ 

Those all-important relationships need nurturing!

How are you caring for your spouse, partner, parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, co-workers?

 

Interesting tip:

 

The Bible compares people to trees. Why? Because trees produce fruit, but only with the proper amounts of water, sun and nutrients. Your precious relationships need the proper amount and the right kind of care, too.

If you’re feeling isolated, maybe the relationships of special people in your life are “undernourished.” One sign is when the people in your life seem to be keeping their distance.

 

 

Ask yourself: 

 

What might I be doing — or not doing — to push others away?

 

If your marriage or significant relationship isn’t getting better every day, then it’s probably stagnating or deteriorating.

 

If your children seem angry, unhappy and non-communicative (….excluding teenagers!), perhaps you need to change something in your parenting style.

 

 

Alert: Our mother and father each deserve extra-special thought, too.  

 

Why? The fifth of the 10 Commandments requires that we treat our parents with incredible care. 

 

Parents gave us the ‘Ultimate Gift’ — life itself! They changed untold dozens of your diapers, fed you thousands of meals, wiped your tears away, fed you, housed you, etc. Make sure you look closely at your parental relationships.

 

 

Here are a few suggestions: 

Listening = Loving. Everyone wants to be listened to…it’s healing. (People will pay upwards of $250 an hour to a therapist just to feel like they’ve been heard.)

 


How to listen better.

 

  • Be smart — put away your ‘smartphone.’

  • Make eye-to-eye contact (nowadays, social-distance-wise, we use FaceTime or video-chats).

  • Ask caring questions; try to understand, don’t judge, don’t interrupt.

  • Paraphrase back what you heard the other say.
 
 

One easy marriage tip: schedule a weekly ‘date night’ with your spouse.

 

Honor your parents by calling, video-chatting, and, whenever possible, visiting in person.

Friendships need nurturing. Make time for a live or virtual coffee, or, if your friend is nearby, put on your PPE and take a walk together. Think about what you can give to the friendship. Be a giver, not a user.

Young kids want and need time and attention from their parents more than anything else. 

 

Teenagers also want it, but, due to their growing sense of self and need for autonomy, will definitely demand ‘space’ of their own. 

 

Food is one road to a kid’s heart. A homemade meal or treat, or a safe/social-distanced trip to a favorite yogurt store, communicates affection. Knowing about, and buying, something your child needs (within your budget) signals that you care. Going to a nearby park, playing board games — sharing time together — shows love. Outings to places that will allow you to rent jet-skis or paddle-boats, or going star-gazing one evening, or inline skating, biking, hiking — these are all ways to ensure family togetherness.

 

Often, a tiny tweak in your relationships can create a huge turn for the better.

 

Now what?

 

Ask:

 

Which family member or friend do I want more closeness with?

 

  • Call or text that special person — TODAY.
  • Send a tiny gift from Amazon.
  • Schedule a date with them. 
     

Now you’re ready… 

Start to Juggle.

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]]> Career https://myjuggler.com/career/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 18:38:05 +0000 https://myjuggler.com/?page_id=1067 The danger we face in ‘Career Ball’ is becoming a workaholic. Particularly in a world that defines you by your career.  When people first meet you they’ll often ask, “So, what do you do?”  (What do I do?!  Many things…I’m a ...

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The danger we face in ‘Career Ball’ is becoming a workaholic. Particularly in a world that defines you by your career. 

When people first meet you they’ll often ask, “So, what do you do?”  (What do I do?!  Many things…I’m a parent, lawyer, son, runner, reader, etc.)  This is a hint they’re probably sizing you up by your job title, your income or who you work for. Given these common societal misconceptions, beware:

EMOTIONAL DANGER LURKS HERE.

If your job title is how you define yourself — and how you support your self-esteem — you could wind up spending excessive amounts of time on your career. 

Judaism, however, does NOT define a person by their career. Rather, your personhood is showcased by several other factors:

How you behave morally (i.e., Are you kind, truthful, patient, generous, cheerful, warm, non-gossiping, not petty?, etc.).

How you spend your time (Do you spend adequate quality-time with your spouse, children, parents and also helping in your community?).

Do you make time to learn Torah and other Jewish works?

Judaism teaches that every person is created “in the image of God.” This awareness alone can create healthy self-esteem! All that being said, obviously one’s professional life is extremely important. And, if you’re lucky, you like the work that you do to support yourself. But, be careful that your career doesn’t monopolize your life/time at the expense of the other key areas.

The flip side of the coin is that sometimes your career does require extra attention because you haven’t invested the needed time. 

 

What’s next?

A few suggestions:

 

  • Ask the people you work with for hints on how to improve.

  • Read articles, listen to podcasts or watch YouTube videos relating to your choice of career field.

  • Take a class to expand your area of expertise or get further knowledge.

  • Absorb a new language, a new skill-set, get certified in a new area.

  • Think about how you can make a small upgrade. Take one small step. For example, shave off 30 minutes two days a week from your workday to spend time with your family, or volunteer with a charity, or to exercise outdoors.

  • If your career is stagnating, use what we call the ‘One/One method:’ Ask your supervisor for a one-minute meeting where s/he could tell you one thing you did well — and one thing you can improve upon.

 

Now you’re ready… 

Start to Juggle.  

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]]> Community https://myjuggler.com/community/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 18:38:17 +0000 https://myjuggler.com/?page_id=1070 Imagine you’ve gotten to where you feel your life is well-balanced… Your body feels great, you’re taking good care of your soul by learning Torah and engaging in regular prayer/meditation. You’ve got your love-life moving forward towards commitment, or you’re ...

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Imagine you’ve gotten to where you feel your life is well-balanced…

Your body feels great, you’re taking good care of your soul by learning Torah and engaging in regular prayer/meditation.

You’ve got your love-life moving forward towards commitment, or you’re working on your existing marriage.

Your career is trending upward.

Seems like you’ve “got it covered.”

Well…not quite. 

You still might feel like something is missing.

The Talmud asks: “If I’m only for myself, what am I?”

It’s giving us a strong hint on how to boost joy. 

 

 

We need to extend kindness to those outside our circle of friends and family.

Your life will not feel quite right unless you’re helping others.

This can take the form of volunteering at a food bank to pack or to deliver groceries; visiting people in a nursing home; contacting someone who’s stuck homebound or feels isolated; calling a friend who’s going through tough times. 

Devise ways to give. Find your ‘sweet spot’ based on your background, abilities, financial situation and social reach. 

Fill yourself with good.

Consider having you and your family invite Shabbos guests over, especially single people who might otherwise be alone, or Jews who have not yet experienced Shabbat.

When choosing a Chesed (kindness), pick an avenue that resonates with your personality and utilizes your talents.

 

How to start?

Ask yourself:
What need in my immediate world, or the ‘bigger world,’ tugs at my heart?

 

Ask yourself:
How could I apply my skills to help in that area?

 

Think about:
Which of my friends may have some involvement in that area? Contact each friend to ask about a next step.

 

Now you’re ready… 

Start to Juggle. 

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